Our Earth has its own special day in April, but every day can be earth day!
As a family, it’s fun to work and learn together about the choices we make when using energy for our homes and transportation, when consuming goods and services, and while buying products of every kind. Every good choice matters and the many small changes we can all do can make such a difference to our lives and to the lives of our future generation. Here are just a few activities you can do to celebrate and care for our earth.
1) If you don’t already have one, build a recycling
station for your home or help someone
else build one.
2) If possible, walk or ride bikes together as a
family instead of using the car to get around
to different activities and events.
3) Build a composting bin.
4) Plant a garden and/or some trees in your
yard or help to do the same in a community
space.
5) Get an energy audit of your house and
invite the kids to participate in learning and
making your home more efficient.
6) With your family, some friends, or with an
organized group at an event, grab a garbage
bag and pick up litter along the roads,
in the ditches, along a lakeshore, in a park,
your yard, a parking lot, or anywhere you
see the need for some trash collection. If
you pick up any pieces of garbage such as
old mechanical parts, wire or anything that
strikes your fancy, save it for construction of
a garbage critter.
Garbage Critters
Use old parts, toys, broken dishes, wire of any kind, broken tools, or any other kind of metal garbage found on your trash collecting adventure or in the garage to construct some Garbage Critters.
Use food cans from the recycle bin as the main part of the body and choose different bits of garbage to add a face and hair, arms and legs, clothes, etc. Silicone glue works well to attach the parts, but you may need to tape the parts to the main body as the glue dries so they don’t slip off due to the weight of the metal.
Older kids can use metal cutters to cut cans and wire to add some special touches to the garbage critters such as crazy hair or eye lashes.
Display your garbage critters on the kitchen table or on the counter. You can also use them for flower vases and containers to keep pencils and pens or any other office supply.
Kelly Dupre of Grand Marais is an artist, children’s author, and educator with over 20 years
teaching experience with all age groups in a variety of settings. The activities in this once-a-month
column are spin-offs and combinations of ideas she has used and learned from teachers, parents,
kids, books, and workshops. Only some of the activities has she actually thought of herself!
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